Canola growers will benefit from updated guidelines for early sown canola for southern and eastern Australian cropping regions developed to help improve on-farm productivity and profitability.
The 10 Tips To Early-Sown Canola guidelines relate to location, variety selection, soil moisture management, seed placement and rates, weed, pest and disease management, soil nutrition and crop-top/windrow timing, and have been updated after an extensive investigation done as part of a Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) collaborative research investment.
The Optimised Canola Profitability project, a collaboration between the GRDC, CSIRO, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) which is a division of Primary Industries and Regions SA, investigated the potential for early sown canola with a focus on tactical agronomic requirements.
As part of the project, 50 field experiments were conducted from 2014 to 2018 to identify the best sowing dates to maximise yield for different canola varieties based on their phenology (rates of development). The experiments were located at 14 sites, from SA’s Eyre Peninsula and Victoria’s Wimmera through to the central-west slopes of NSW and the Darling Downs in south-eastern Queensland.
The traditional canola sowing window in much of the southern and eastern growing regions opened in late April and continued well into May.
However changing rainfall patterns, disciplined summer fallow management and improved no-till seeding systems have enabled growers to capitalise on soil moisture opportunities and reduce production risk by sowing canola earlier in the season, but the choice of variety for success with early sowing is very important.
GRDC Manager Agronomy, Soils and Farming Systems - North Kaara Klepper, said when it came to determining how and when to plant early sown canola it was critical growers and advisers had access to the latest research data so they can devise strategies to maximise their profits.
"These comprehensive guidelines have now been updated to reflect the latest varieties and agronomic advice, so we encourage those considering early sown canola next season to read this new version so they can make better informed on-farm decisions," Dr Klepper said.
The guidelines for early-sown canola, developed by the Optimised Canola Profitability project team have been updated in a new digital 'Ten Tips to Early-Sown Canola' brochure.
